The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)

Even beyond the troubling aspects of a national culture in which a government and its functionaries could target a talented and altruistic young man with such extreme malice and vengeance, it seems we need to ask how Swartz, with so many intelligent and sensitive friends and colleagues, could still become so isolated and despondent as to take his own life.This film is a hugely interesting and informative one, but I believe it still falls far short of telling us everything we may want to know about Aaron Swartz, who I can't help but think was a young David who was, in effect, slain by a Goliath.

The movie is based on the life of Aaron Swartz, a programmer, entrepreneur and an Internet hacktivist, who ended his life at an early age of 26. This is a documentary and all the cast were the people involved in his life, including Tim Berners-Lee (the inventor of World Wide Web (WWW)).He started programming at a very early age and was involved in making websites. He was involved in development of web feed format RSS, the organization Creative Commons, the social news site Reddit. He also focused on civic awareness and activism.He was arrested on charges of breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony. He was a research fellow at Harvard University at the time of his arrest and a visitor of MIT. He used JSTOR, a digital repository, to download a large number of academic journal articles through MIT's computer network (which is not public and people have to pay to get the articles. But MIT's students were authorized to access JSTOR through it's network for free). He was captured on a camera using the computer which was used to download the articles. From there on his charges grew with an intent set an example as to what can happen when people try to cross borders. I strongly feel that he was overcharged.This movie leaves us with the thought of how a political system can use the outdated rules to convict innocent people and how important it is to give open access to the research articles to help improve technology and make world a better place.

what is the price for freedom ...apparently aaron was right...and its priceless ! Information is power ...... But like all power, there are those who want to keep it to themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage is being digitized and locked up by private organizations. Should we tap somebody's phone ? Should we film them ? Should we turn somebody against them and get them to testify against these other people? That's how federal agents and prosecutors think to solve a problem.A Must Must watch !!

The story is interesting enough for a documentary, well filmed, made a little bit boring at times though. But it is wounded from the beginning by an inescapable contradiction.Aaron Swartz was a brilliant engaged young man who wanted to make this world a better place. He had a relentless energy and this rare capacity of combining deep technical knowledge with charisma, rhetorical power and strategical planning. He wanted to make a difference and wanted you to be part of making that difference. He seemed to be marked for greatness.And then he is indicted by the government, implicated in a promiscuous process absolutely out of proportion, which thought to make an example out of him. And he gets depressed. And who wouldn't if you were facing the spectrum of 35 years in prison? The next thing you know he commits suicide.Well, I will never judge someone who takes his own life. I'm not a moralist. What I judge is this. Here is a guy, an activist, no doubt a fantastic human being, whose apparent message was let's fight, fight, fight. We can beat and change the system, do good things. Let's not give up. And then he commits suicide? He does in fact give up? Are you kidding me? What about the glowing ideas? What about the inspiring speeches? What about the final message? When the chips are down, blow your brains out?For me he is not a martyr. Nor a victim. Not even a dreamer. For me he is someone who betrayed everything he stood for.True heroes that really make a difference are Assanges and Snowdens, not Swartzes.